egregious
adjective
egre·gious
i-ˈgrē-jəs 
1
: conspicuous
especially
: conspicuously bad : flagrant
egregious errors
egregious padding of the evidence —
Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Hitchens 2
archaic
: distinguished
egregiously
adverb
egregiousness
noun
Did you know?
Egregious comes from a Latin word meaning "distinguished" or "eminent." It was once a compliment to someone who had a remarkably good quality that placed him or her above others. Today, the meaning of the word is noticeably less complimentary, possibly as a result of ironic use of its original sense.
Examples of egregious in a Sentence
… the public perception is that too many corporate executives have committed egregious breaches of trust by cooking the books, shading the truth, and enriching themselves with huge stock-option profits while shareholders suffered breathtaking losses.
—John A. Byrne et al., Business Week, 6 May 2002
History cannot be rewritten, but some of its more egregious errors can be corrected—at least in part, at least symbolically. … Or so assume a growing number of human-rights advocates.
—Ellis Cose, Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2001
an egregious example of political bias
the student's theme was marred by a number of egregious errors in spelling
John A. Byrne et al., Business Week, 6 May 2002
History cannot be rewritten, but some of its more egregious errors can be corrected—at least in part, at least symbolically. … Or so assume a growing number of human-rights advocates.
—Ellis Cose, Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2001
an egregious example of political bias
the student's theme was marred by a number of egregious errors in spelling
Recent Examples on the Web
In some cases, attorneys have won large settlements for their clients, but the circumstances have to be particularly egregious.
—Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 7 Apr. 2025
Instead, each case involved egregious misconduct, including the wholesale fabrication of news stories.
—ArsTechnica, 7 Apr. 2025
But the go-ahead goal was egregious when oft-scratched Declan Chisholm, inserted into the lineup for Jon Merrill after a rough game in New Jersey, accidentally backhanded a puck right on net.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2025
The elites pull the strings while the masses suffer the consequences of their court's egregious failures.
—Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for egregious
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Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 7 Apr. 2025
Instead, each case involved egregious misconduct, including the wholesale fabrication of news stories.
—ArsTechnica, 7 Apr. 2025
But the go-ahead goal was egregious when oft-scratched Declan Chisholm, inserted into the lineup for Jon Merrill after a rough game in New Jersey, accidentally backhanded a puck right on net.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2025
The elites pull the strings while the masses suffer the consequences of their court's egregious failures.
—Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for egregious
Cite this Entry
“Egregious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/egregious. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
egregious
adjective
egre·gious
i-ˈgrē-jəs
: very noticeable
especially
: glaringly bad
egregious errors
egregiously
adverb
egregiousness
noun
Legal Definition
egregious
adjective
egre·gious
i-ˈgrē-jəs
: extremely and conspicuously bad
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